"Police Hit the Street in AWACS on Wheels" 
Law Enforcement Technology (03/03) Vol. 30, No. 3, P. 70; Page, 
Douglas 

Baltimore police are now able to move their central command anywhere 
in the city during a disaster with the aid of a AWACS on wheels
-- a Winnebago-sized vehicle designed and manufactured collaboratively 
by Allied Research's microwave security arm, NS Microwave, and LDV.  

The kind of security that comes from the police having the ability 
to operate from anywhere during a crisis is especially assuring in 
these uncertain times, says Allied CEO Binford Peay III. 

Everett Shilts, president of NS Microwave and designer of the 
electronic systems installed on the mobile command center, notes 
that it can be operated unmanned if necessary and can be remotely 
controlled through a cellular phone; he also designed the computer 
system so that it would eliminate weeks of training--instead 
developing one that demands programming skills from only a few 
people and a short training course for operators.  

Shilts says he was inspired to create a system that incorporates 
new anti-terrorist technologies with the conventional surveillance 
equipment used by police departments because of the communication 
problems brought to light on Sept. 11, when NYC police were unable 
to talk to federal agencies because they did not have companionable 
equipment or an interface system.  

Privacy advocates are concerned about the amount of images and 
information AWACS will collect and how it will be used-- many feel 
that this type of surveillance may undermine free speech and freedom 
of association, especially as it will be used to monitor rallies and 
protests. 

Despite those misgivings, the AWACS has obvious tactical advantages 
in fighting drug trafficking, for instance--being able to observe a 
entire grid of streets and alleys for drug activity, then dispatching 
officers to make arrests on the spot.  

http://www.law-enforcement.com/

Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however copies may not 
be sold, and the NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology 
News Summary should be cited as the source of the information.  
Copyright 2003, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD.

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Source: NLECTC - http://www.nlectc.org/justnetnews/weeklynews.html

Cheers, Steve..

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